Houthi officials visit Moscow as China asks Iran to stop Red Sea attacks

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Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels have asked Russia to mount pressure on the US and Israel to halt the war in Gaza during a rare visit to Moscow.

The visit comes at a time when China has reportedly asked Tehran to help stop the group's attacks on commercial ships passing through the Red Sea.

The attacks, which the Houthis says are in solidarity with Gaza, have disrupted global trade by forcing many shipping companies to divert their vessels to the longer and costlier route around South Africa's Cape of Good Hope.

The rebels have continued to launch drones and missiles at ships despite several rounds of US-led strikes since January 11.

A Houthi delegation met Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdano in Moscow on Thursday and discussed the situation in the region, the rebels' lead negotiator, Mohammed Abdul Salam, said on X, formerly Twitter.

They also discussed the importance of intensifying efforts to pile pressure on the US and Israel to stop the war in Gaza.

“Both parties condemned the strikes launched by America and Britain on Yemen,” he said.

Meanwhile, Chinese officials have asked their Iranian counterparts to help rein in attacks on shipping by the Houthis, which could harm business relations with Beijing, Reuters reported, citing four Iranian sources and a diplomat.

“Basically, China says: 'If our interests are harmed in any way, it will impact our business with Tehran. So, tell the Houthis to show restraint',” said one Iranian official briefed on the talks.

However, the Chinese officials did not make any specific comments or threats about how Beijing's trading relationship with Iran could be affected if its interests are damaged by the Houthi attacks, the sources said.

While Beijing has been Tehran's biggest trading partner over the past decade, their trade relationship is lopsided.

China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Beijing “is a sincere friend of the countries of the Middle East and is committed to promoting regional security and stability, and seeking common development and prosperity”.

“We firmly support Middle Eastern countries in strengthening their strategic independence and uniting and collaborating to resolve regional security issues,” the ministry told Reuters.

Houthi leader Abdel Malek Al Houthi said the group would continue to attack ships linked to Israel until aid reaches the Palestinian enclave.

“Our country will continue its operations until food and medicine reach the people of Gaza,” he said.

He said the US-led strikes on his group's missile and drone sites would be counterproductive and would not affect “our will and determination”.

Commercial traffic passing through Egypt's Suez Canal, which links the Red Sea to the Mediterranean, has dropped by 42 per cent in the past two months following the Houthi attacks, according to the UN Conference on Trade and Development.

“We are very concerned that the attacks on Red Sea shipping are adding tensions to global trade, exacerbating [existing] trade disruptions due to geopolitics and climate change,” Unctad chief Jan Hoffman told reporters on Thursday.

Mr Hoffman said more than 80 per cent of the volume of international goods trade was transported by sea.

“Maritime transport is really the lifeline of global trade,” he said.

LILO & STITCH

Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders

Director: Dean Fleischer Camp

Rating: 4.5/5

Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021

Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.

The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.

These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.

“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.

“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.

“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.

“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”

Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.

There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.

“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.

“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.

“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”

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Founders: Mounir Nakhla, Ahmed Mohsen and Mohamed Aboulnaga

Based: Cairo, Egypt

Sector: transport and logistics

Size: 150 employees

Investment: approximately $8 million

Investors include: Singapore’s Battery Road Digital Holdings, Egypt’s Algebra Ventures, Uber co-founder and former CTO Oscar Salazar

THE BIO

Family: I have three siblings, one older brother (age 25) and two younger sisters, 20 and 13

Favourite book: Asking for my favourite book has to be one of the hardest questions. However a current favourite would be Sidewalk by Mitchell Duneier

Favourite place to travel to: Any walkable city. I also love nature and wildlife

What do you love eating or cooking: I’m constantly in the kitchen. Ever since I changed the way I eat I enjoy choosing and creating what goes into my body. However, nothing can top home cooked food from my parents.

Favorite place to go in the UAE: A quiet beach.

The years Ramadan fell in May

1987

1954

1921

1888

The specs

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What is Diwali?

The Hindu festival is at once a celebration of the autumn harvest and the triumph of good over evil, as outlined in the Ramayana.

According to the Sanskrit epic, penned by the sage Valmiki, Diwali marks the time that the exiled king Rama – a mortal with superhuman powers – returned home to the city of Ayodhya with his wife Sita and brother Lakshman, after vanquishing the 10-headed demon Ravana and conquering his kingdom of Lanka. The people of Ayodhya are believed to have lit thousands of earthen lamps to illuminate the city and to guide the royal family home.

In its current iteration, Diwali is celebrated with a puja to welcome the goodness of prosperity Lakshmi (an incarnation of Sita) into the home, which is decorated with diyas (oil lamps) or fairy lights and rangoli designs with coloured powder. Fireworks light up the sky in some parts of the word, and sweetmeats are made (or bought) by most households. It is customary to get new clothes stitched, and visit friends and family to exchange gifts and greetings.

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